The number of jobs changed little in September, according to data from Statistics Canada’s most recent Labor Force Survey.
After declining in August, employment rose very slightly. Among young women aged 15 to 24, it fell for a second consecutive month. However, it increased in the category of young men and among women aged 25 to 54.
Statistics Canada notes, contrary to what was observed in July and August, an increase of 35,000 employees in the public sector, largely in educational services. In the private sector and among the self-employed, employment remained stable.
Four provinces are affected by a slight increase in the number of jobs, namely British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Conversely, fewer people worked in Ontario and Prince Edward Island.
After increasing in August, employment remained stable in Quebec, and the unemployment rate was little changed.
Imbalance in responsibilities
Childcare responsibilities have had a greater impact on women’s work decisions than men’s over the past year.
In September 2022, as parents and children began to return to school routines, the employment rate of core-age mothers with at least one child under the age of 18 reached its highest level ever. the month of September since 1976, i.e. 79.9%. This rate is also up by 2.1 percentage points compared to September 2019.
However, those with a child under 16 were twice as likely (14.9%) to have decided not to apply for a job or promotion in the previous 12 months as their male counterparts (7.1% ). Meanwhile, almost half of mothers said they helped their children with homework or homeschooled most or all of the time, compared to a quarter of fathers.
Drop in the unemployment rate
After an increase the previous month, the unemployment rate fell again. It fell from 5.4% to 5.2%, from August to September.
According to Statistics Canada, long-term unemployment, that is, the number of people who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more, fell by 9.7% in September. This offset the 13.7% increase recorded in August.